Device for playing and practising golf, putting, and other games.



n. MAHER.

DEVICE FOR PLAYING AND PRACTISING- GOLF, PUTTING, AND OTHER GAMES.

' APPLICATION FILED MAR. 28. 1914.

1,1 35,,706o Pat nted Apr. 13, 1915.

DANIEL MAKER, 0F LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

DEVICE FOR PLAYING AND PRACTISING GOLF, PUTTING, AND OTHER GAMES.

maaroc.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

Application filed. March 28, 1914. Serial No. 827,970.

T all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DANIEL MAKER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in the Kingdom 0 England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Devices for playing and Practising Golf, Putting, and other Games, of which the following is a Specification.

This invention has for its object an appliance for catching balls in playing or practising golf, putting and other games.

It has been more especially designed for use'in connection with putting indoors also a substitute for' the usual holes that are made in the turf or lawns or putting greens into which a player seeks to drive his ball with the fewest strokes.

'Such appliance comprises an exterior ring or base piece adapted to lie flat on the floor or ground, and a flange or lip projecting upward from the inner edge thereof so as to form a cupor receptacle for the ball, the flange being of such material that it will give inward when a ball impacts against it from the outside (so that the ball canfreely enter the receptacle), but offer more resistance to the ball escaping therefrom.

My invention differs from known devices of this character, in that an upwardl extending flange or inwardly sloping ange has an annular base around the outside, which base forms a stand for the appliance to rest on, the flange being of thin pliable but resilient material so as to have insufficient rigidity to support the ball. When a ball rolls over the external base the portion of the flange against which the ball impacts,

will be depressed or flattened inward, the resiliency of the flange causing it to resume its normal shape as soon as the ball has passed off therefrom. I The invention will be understood from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

' Figure 1 is a perspective viewpf the appliance embodying my improvement, Fig. 2 a similar view with a ball shown in the act 1 of entering it, and Fig. 3 a cross sectional view.

Referring to these figures, A is the annular ring or base piece, adapted to lie flat on the floor or ground. This base piece is of india rubber or any other suitable material, and around the inside edge thereof, a flange or riin B extends upward, so that ceptacle.

offers more resistance to the ball escaping the base piece and flange in combination,

form a cup or receptacle for a ball or balls. This flange B preferably slopes inward at a spitable'angle, but it may be upright if desired, and it is made of india rubber so as to be resilient, and give inward from the outside pressure -of a ball striking against it, so that the ball {shall freel enter the re- On the other hand the flange B the double purpose as a sta'ndfor the appliance to rest on the floor or ground, and as a lead for the ball, before impacting against the flange B and rolling into the recpetacle. By means of this external annular base A, the flange B will offer less resistance to .the ball entering the receptacle, because a ball will deflect or flatten down that part of the flange against which it impacts. If the base was a disk instead-of an annular ring, there would be two thicknesses of material for the ball to mount before it could enter the receptacle, viz. the thickness of the disk,

and the thickness of the flattened down flange.

In use the player drives his ball by means of-the usual club, and the ball on impacting against the external surface of the slantingside-B flattens the same at the point of impact, as shown in Fig. 2, thus entering the receptacle. The side being resilient immediately springs. back again, and the escape of the ball from the receptacle is resisted to a certain extent. There is little or no resistance to the ball entering the re-' ceptacle, owing to the facility with which the flange yields inward, and to the fact that it is flattened flush with the annular base, at the part where the ball strikes'it'.

The base piece Aand flangeB are by preference made in one of india rubberor other games, comprising. an annular base piece,

- and a-fiange or rim formed of a single thickball has passed oif therefrom.

2. An appliance'for catching balls in playing or practising golf, putting or other games, comprising an annular base piece resting flatvupon the ground or other surface and having athin pliable and resilient upwardly and inwardly extending flange formed of a single piece of material within the outer edge of said base piece, said flange having insufficient rigidity to support the ball, whereby when a golf ball rolls over the external base, the portion of the flange against which the ball impacts will be depressed or flattened inward, .the resiliency of the flange causing it to resume its normal shape as soon as the ball has passed ofi therefrom.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 18th day of March 1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- DANIEL .MAHER.

Witnesses:

G. O. DYMoNn, INGLES HAILES. 

